Lacrosse Magazine is counting down its preseason rankings
throughout the month of January exclusively on
LaxMagazine.com.

Today continues a look at our NCAA Division I Top 20
rankings.For more, visit LaxMagazine.com/LMranks. Follow
@LacrosseMag on Twitter and Tweet using the
hashtag #LMranks.The countdown will resume
Tuesday with profiles of the ninth-ranked teams in NCAA Division I
men and women.

Power Ratings

Offense: 3*Defense: 5Goalkeeping: 4Faceoff: 3
* Out of 5

Top Returner

A Dante Fantoni (Sr.)
While senior attackman David DiMaria (24 goals, 23 assists in
2012) is a do-it-all type of presence, Fantoni is the team's most
versatile finisher (23g, 20a) and he's healthy after an
injury-plagued junior year. "He's as good a goal scorer as I've
seen," Lehigh coach Kevin Cassese said. "He's very accurate with
his shot, can beat you with both hands, and he's got a great feel
for the game."

X-Factor

LSM Dylan O'Shaughnessy (So.)
At 6-feet-5, 215 pounds, you can't miss him. And O'Shaughnessy
came on strong as a freshman to become quite the disruptive force
up top. "If he takes the next step like I think he can, so will our
defense. This kid is a beast," Cassese said.

What's New?

It's year one of life without the Lao-Gosney twins. Roman and
Cameron were four-year fixtures in Bethlehem, and their graduation
has left the midfield rotation up in the air heading into the
preseason. "I don't know that we've ever headed into the season not
sure of our first midfield line," Cassese said.

What's Not?

The 1-2 attack punch of Fantoni and DiMaria may also have a
Lao-Gosney-like presence at Lehigh. This senior combination, which
nearly split its combined, 90-point production down the middle in
2012, will be expected to do even more in 2013.

In A Nutshell: Talent, team identity and
coaching philosophy all came together, as Cassese's rebuilding
project came to fruition in the fifth year of his first head
coaching gig. After losing by 10 goals in their second game against
Villanova, the Hawks made history by winning 13 of 14 games to make
their first-ever NCAA tournament.

High Point: Lehigh's 16-14 victory over Colgate
in the Patriot League tournament championship game was one of the
more entertaining games played last spring. That day, the Hawks
proved they could stand toe-to-toe in a shootout scenario.

Low Point: Villanova probably did the Hawks a
favor by embarrassing them at home, 17-7, in mid-February. The loss
dropped Lehigh to 1-1, and it served as a wakeup call to the Hawks,
who corrected their over-playing, sloppy defense with dramatic
results.

2013 Preview

Best Case: The Mountain Hawks take advantage of
their experience, rock-solid defense and proven scoring punch and
make their second NCAA tournament, whether or not they win the
Patriot League again. The road takes them close to home in
Philadelphia for the school's first final four.

Worst Case: Lehigh is unable to establish
consistency among their two midfield lines, and place too much
pressure on their defense as they slide to the middle of the pack
in a very competitive Patriot League.

Inside Scoop

Coach Kevin Cassese's comments on...

A Patrick Corbett (So.)
"He has such a good nose for offensive rebounds and is so good off
the ground. One of the best finishers we've ever had."

M Brian Hess (Sr.)
"He's a great leader, and he operates very well with a little bit
of space. A quick dodger who can shoot it in the high 90s."

A Dante Fantoni (Sr.)
"He can be sneaky with the way he finds his way to the goal. He
makes a lot of plays that don't find their way to the box
score."

Rival Coaches Say

"Can they be consistent? I think so. Well-coached, and lots of
talent remains. Should be a confident group coming into 2013... How
does this team handle success is something everyone has and will
continue to say... Two very good offensive players in Fantoni and
DiMaria, they definitely play with a confidence about them, if they
take some losses early does that hurt them? Defense was very good
last year and [sophomore] Matt Pollion is a solid keeper, need to
get used to playing with the target on the back now... Will return
the nucleus of their defense in third-team All-American Ty Souders
as well as Poillon... I watched them in the fall and I thought they
were head and shoulders above the team they were playing against.
They played with a confidence and enjoyment that reminded me of the
late spring."